1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector that includes a receptacle connector and a plug connector that is fitted in the receptacle connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, when connecting one device with another device to send and receive signals, a male plug connector is provided via a cable or the like in the device on the side sending the signals, and by fitting the plug connector to a female receptacle connector provided on the receiving side, the devices are electrically connected to each other. With electrical connectors that include this kind of receptacle connector and plug connector, there is a need for the connection (fitting) of the connectors to be performed easily and surely, and for the connection reliability (contact reliability of contacts) to be ensured under the usage environment.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-190352 discloses prior art relating to an electrical connector including a receptacle connector and a plug connector that is fitted to the receptacle connector. That prior art describes technology that aims to simplify the locking mechanism of the connector and also facilitate removal of fluid that adheres to the connector.
In this connection, it is not always necessary to maintain a one-to-one relation between a device on a side sending a signal and a device on a side receiving the signal, and conventionally devices have been designed to provide upward compatibility to enable common use of the device on the signal-receiving side, i.e. the device on the signal processing side, with respect to a plurality of devices on the signal-sending side.
For example, endoscopes of various kinds are used in the field of medical treatment, and by connecting a plug connector provided in an endoscope to a receptacle connector of a signal processing apparatus it is possible to display picked-up images of affected areas or perform medical treatment using a treatment instrument and the like. With such kinds of endoscopes, there are cases in which, even though the endoscopes are of the same kind, a mixture of conventional endoscopes and endoscopes that have been newly developed in conformity with technological progress are utilized. Therefore designing a processing apparatus that is compatible with a new-model endoscope in a manner such that the processing apparatus can also be applied to a conventional endoscope is also beneficial from the viewpoints of effective utilization of the product and cost reductions.